Apparatus for separating materials of different specific gravities



Oct. 22, 1935. H. M. CHANCE' APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MATERIALS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES Fil ed June 9, 1955 0 Q- v ll; 1 I. l 1/1/1 Ill/$5511 m u 5 5% n v r I v v 1 Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v APPARATUS FOR- SEPARATING MATERIALS. OF DIFFERENT SPECIEIQ' GRAYITIES Henry M. Chance, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 9, 1933, Serial-N0. 675,032

2 Claims. (01. 2.0%1-471) My invention consists of an improvement'upon the apparatus for separating materials of different specific gravities described and shown by U. S. Patent No. 1,730,123, issued 'octoberl, 1929.

Fig. I is a front elevation and partly cross-sectional view and illustrates my present improvement. It is of the type shown by Fig. I, of that patent with 'modifications eliminating the bellows and adding an improved feed control.

Fig. II is a similar view of an alternative apparatus and method of feed control.

Fig. I shows an oscillating separator A, supported upon rollers B-B, actuated by ycam. C, driven by shaft Dby any suitable source of power and connected with A by a stiff but flexible connecting rod E, a stationary feed-hopper F, mounted slidably upon the upper surface of A in which surface a feed port G is cut, the rate of feed varying with the stroke of D and is further regulated by an adjustable feed gate H, held in place by the set screw I. A fan J fixed in space has an extension of its delivery conduit, fitted into an aperture in the end of the separator A so that said separator may slide to and fro on said conduit without leakage of the air blast.

Fig. II illustrates an improved form of feed in which an oscillating plunger 0 actuated by revolving crank P is placed in operative relation to the feed hopper F connected with the feed chute R, the delivery end of which is turned vertically downward. This entire feed structure is stationary as indicated by the beams shown below it.

This feed conduit is placed vertically above the inlet for feed in the top of separator A, and these two structures, the one fixed in space and the other oscillating, are connected together by S an India rubber or other elastic conduit.

The operation of my invention will be described as applied to the separation of coal from refuse intermixed therewith, as from such description its use in concentrating ores and the like will be readily understood.

Assuming the apparatus to be started empty. Upon introducing coal the air blast at once beins to blow particles of coal forming the top surface of the raw coal towards the point of delivery. The raw materials will therefore de crease in thickness or depth. Meanwhile the whole mass of coal and refuse by the oscillation of the separator A and by the steps LL, is moving slowly towards the point of discharge.

These steps are not essential to the operation of the apparatus but useful in effecting uniform rate of translation from feed to point of discharge.

Theremoval of coalfrom the top of the mass of rawcoal rapidly reducesits bulk, so that the the minimum-required totpermit the passage of 10 the largest individual piece ,ofcoalat the discharge: end, accomplishing this'by making the top of the separator A slope toward the region of discharge at a greater inclination than that of the floor. 15

, The apparatus 5,3,8 :shownis closed: against ;:the escape of air except at the coal discharge-by keeping the feed pocket full of coal and and by causing the refuse to fall into an air tight pocket with valve controlled admission and discharge. 20 If desired two valves operated alternately may also be used for trapping coal into and through the feed pocket.

The cross-sectional area of the separator A is shown as decreasing from the feed end to the 25 delivery at a uniform rate, so that the velocity of the air injected under pressure increases by a uniformly accelerated motion from feed end to delivery. If this motion is retarded by resistance to motion of materials being fed into the separator, this resistance will react so the fan or compressor will deliver air at greater static pressure. The lighter material being blown along from point of feed to point of discharge will similarly be accelerated, moving with higher and 35 higher velocity until its velocity is at a maximum at the point of delivery at the lower end of separator A.

While the apparatus shown is a single separating unit I may in practice cause the lighter materials to be discharged into and pass through one or more additional separating troughs for more thorough separation thereof, and/or cause the discharge of heavier materials to pass through one or more additional separating troughs for more thorough separation thereof.

The apparatus being diagrammatic is intended to' illustrate means for producing motion of the material being separated by any mechanism in common use in bumping tables, Wilfley concentrators and the like. The separator may be of any desired shape or size with or without riflies, the air blast being provided by any type 0 fan, pump, compressor, or the like.

I claim: 1. In a separator of the type in which a mixture of materials is caused by agitation to stratify thereof to form a closed passageway, said separator having inlet means for the admission at the higher portion thereof of .a mixture of materials to be separated and for the admission of gaseous medium under pressure, said separator having outlet means for the separate discharge from the lower portion thereof of the separated materials, and said cover throughout the length of the trough having a fixed convergence toward the lower portion of the bottom. of the trough to progressively reduce the cross sectional area' of the separator toward the deliveryend, said reduction in cross sectional area serving to compensate for the reduction in the bulk of the material toward the discharge end due to removal of one of the separated components, and to progressively reduce the passageway above thematerial for flow of the gaseous medium throughoutthe separator so as to result in an increase in the velocity of the gaseous medium in its passage through the separator, and means for longitudinally reciproeating the trough.

.2. In a separator of the type in which a mix-- ture of materials is caused by agitation to stratify according to their relative specific gravities durdownward inclination of the bottom of the separator so that the space between the top and corresponding points on the steps of the bottom 15 is uniformly less from the upper to the lower end of the separator, said separator having at its upper end inlet means for the admission of a mixture of materials and air under. pressure, said separator having at its lower end outlet means 20 for the discharge of the separated materials, the inclination of the top relative to the bottom reducing the general cross-sectional area of the separator toward the delivery end said reduction in cross sectional area serving to compen- 25 sate for the reduction in the bulk of the material toward the discharge end due to removal of one of'the separated components, and to progressively reduce the passageway above the material for flow of the gaseous medium throughout the 0 separator so as to result in an increase in the velocity of the gaseous medium in its passage through the separator, and means for longitudinally reciprocating the trough. 35

HENRY M. CHANCE. 

